Author: Mandy Hager Reviewers: Katarina (14) and Amelia (14)

Eighteen-year-old Grace has struggled all her life with her place in this family and in the world. Obviously of Asian descent, she has been unable to get the truth about her parentage from her mother, a woman who is struggling with her own demons, that date back to her life in Taiwan where she survived an earthquake while giving birth to Grace.

May 2024 release

Author: Rachael King. Reviewers: Kirsteen Ure and Libby Timmins (11).

When is a horse book not a horse book? When it’s a kelpie book, of course, of course. Kirsteen Ure and her daughter Libby (11) give an unbridled review of Rachael King’s new intermediate-age fantasy book, The Grimmelings.

February 2024 release

To say Jade Kake is busy is a bit of an understatement. With not one, but two books published in 2023 (while also working in her day job as director and architectural and urban designer at architectural firm Matakohe and as a senior lecturer at AUT) she was in need of a summer holiday — big time.

In 2023 a cohort of excellent, world-class authors from Aotearoa penned novels for young adults. Here is Kete’s pick of the year based on our reviewers’ insights.

Rapture features 90 performance poets, rappers, spoken-word artists, slam poets, theatre makers, genre blenders and storytellers brought together by Carrie Rudzinski and Grace Iwashita-Taylor to celebrate the diverse voices and communities within Aotearoa. Here, the duo explains how they took poems from the stage to the page.

Author: Latika Vasil. Reviewer: Crissi Blair.

‘The World I Found is Wellington author Latika Vasil’s first YA novel, and she’s included a lot of her local landscape here. She’s had a number of short stories published, and I look forward to seeing her fiction repertoire grow and develop.’

September 2023 release

Author: Michaela Keeble. Illustrator: Tokerau Brown. Reviewer: Dionne Christian.

Paku Manu Ariki Whakatakapōkai is philosophical, smart, wry and highly recommended.

September 2023 release

Kaituhi: David Riley. Nā Milo Lilo Morrison i arotake.

‘Ka whakaatu tēnei pukapuka i te manawatītī, te aumangea, te kaha me te māia.’

‘This book was an amazing way of showing determination, resilience, strength and bravery.’

Author: Shaneel Lal. Reviewer: Demi Cox.

‘For me, there are not enough words to describe just how stunning One of Them really is.’

July 2023 release

Author: Eileen Merriman. Reviewer: Crissi Blair.

Catch A Falling Star is another thought-provoking, real-world read for young adults by this very able writer, Eileen Merriman.

July 2023 release

Author: Blair McMillan. Reviewer: Anne Ingram.

There are difficult themes in Here Upon the Tide – refugees and their need for a safe home, the loss of a parent, depression and mental health. These matters impact the characters deeply but never weigh the book down. Blair McMillan has explored each theme with understanding and compassion…

June 2023 release

Author & illustrator: Bob Kerr. Reviewer: Dionne Christian.

Jack & Sandy is an adventure story told across three generations - a story about friendship, family and the devastating effects of war. Written and illustrated with graphic novel sections by Bob Kerr, the award-winning illustrator of Terry Teo.

June 2023 release

Author: Chelsey Furedi. Reviewer: Jack Remiel Cottrell.

For fans of Kiss Number 8 and On a Sunbeam, Chelsey Furedi’s debut graphic novel is a fast-paced time travel adventure with a hint of romance that has garnered 1.5 million views as a Tapas webcomic.

April 2023 release

First chapter: New Dawning: The Edge of Light trilogy - The Uncovering of Truth by A. M. Dixon (OneTree House, $27.00)

Read the first chapter in book one in a startling new trilogy by A. M. Dixon.

Author: Tessa Duder. Reviewer: Louise Ward.

The Sparrow is a powerful new historical novel from one of New Zealand’s best-loved YA authors, Tessa Duder.

May 2023 release

Cover story: Iris and Me by Philippa Werry (Ahoy! The Cuba Press, $25.00)

Author Philippa Werry on her book Iris and Me, the Kete Cover Story March winner: “I absolutely love it!”

March 2023 release

Author: Leonie Agnew. Reviewer: Sarah Forster.

The unpublished manuscript was the winner of the 2022 Tessa Duder Award; now comes The Impossible Story of Hannah Kemp - a powerful exploration of guilt, forgiveness, choice and personal responsibility.

April 2023 release

Author: Anne Kayes. Reviewer: Dionne Christian.

Tūī Street Legends is book three in Anne Kayes’ successful series about a group of young friends who live in a tightknit community where neighbours still greet each other by name and the kids are in and out of one another’s homes, forging close friendships and connections.

February 2023 release

Author: David Hill. Reviewer: Jessie Neilson.

In Below, a young adult novel by renowned storyteller David Hill, we witness two adolescents who find themselves completely out of their league, trapped in the tunnel.

February 2023 release